Tis The Season
by Siniscule
Summary: Maki Nishikino is working for the first time as a seasonal associate, and she begins to question whether or not it's even worth it.


**A/N: This was a secret santa gift for my friend Pow! Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone!**

* * *

 **'Tis The Season**

* * *

"Have a nice day!"

And although she may have been spreading this wish the occasional customer, Maki Nishikino was not having a nice day of her own. It was hard for her to have a normal – let alone wonderful – day when donning a corny Christmas uniform for her temporary seasonal job at the mall's music store. Nothing was worse than the company's cheerful red sweater slogan of, "We've Got The Bells – and MORE! – For Your Holiday Jingle."

She had always loved Christmas, but retail was sucking the joy out of her.

Maki flashed a brief smile to the customer nearest toward her in the aisle before muttering, "I can't believe my parents are making me do this," under her breath while fixing the price tags. It had been an agonizingly slow first week and every passing hour made her realize that socializing with strangers was absolutely exhausting and not worth it. She was barely extraverted in school and cared little for prying into other people's business. The amount of people that walked up to her and somehow derailed their question into a conversation about politics and scandal was baffling, and not at all what she signed up for. Then again, it wasn't her who had signed up for the job.

Although her family was comfortable in their wealth, her parents did genuinely believe in hard and earnest work. They insisted that she spend one holiday season working temporarily so that she could get a grasp on what working with others would entail after university. And so they got her hired at a music store, in the vain attempt that it would be easier on Maki due to her interest in music.

"Are you used to things yet?"

Maki sighed at the sound of Umi Sonoda's voice. The girl was one year older than Maki, and was also working for the Christmas season. However, she had a couple of weeks of experience already that Maki had yet to catch up to.

"No," Maki said flatly.

Umi stepped closer in order to help Maki finish her rack. "I just got back from my break, so you can go now if you want. I've got this."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You were next anyway." Umi offered a small smile as Maki rushed toward the back room. She removed her black fleece jacket from her small employee cubbyhole and quickly threw it on. With a small wave of gratitude to Umi from afar, Maki walked out of the store and out onto the ceramic flooring of the mall. It was bustling, driven by passionate and desperate holiday shoppers with barely any room to breathe. Jazzy holiday instrumentals filled the void like an estranged but familiar echo, though it wasn't enough to drown out the sound of frenzied chatter.

Weaving her way through the crowds of the upper level where she worked, Maki made her way to the food court and ordered herself a crepe. It had chocolate filling with hints of coconut, a combination that she had only begun to appreciate upon working at the mall. Scanning the court, she rolled her eyes at the sheer amount of people filling the space. There was never a place to sit, but she always checked anyway. After all, a half hour break after being on one's feet for hours calls for the comfort of a chair. And, for once, her efforts weren't fruitless. Her eyes widened as she spotted an empty table with two seats, and she hastened her steps toward the small oasis with eyes glued to the ground as though it would increase her speed to watch her feet shuffle.

Just as she reached for one of the two chairs, she heard the second seat on the opposite end scrape against the tile. Her eyes darted ahead until they saw a pair of red heels, her gaze proceeding to travel up black stockings, a red skirt, and a white button up shirt with a black ribbon adorning a smaller girl. An irritated expression awaited Maki upon the black-haired girl's face, but once eye contact was made the girl quickly composed herself and gave a bright smile.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked.

Maki had been trying to get a seat for days. "I've been trying to get a seat and I'm not going to take long since I'm currently on –"

The girl didn't let Maki finish her sentence before plopping herself onto the chair and placing a cup of bubble tea on the table.

Maki blinked. "Really?"

The girl smirked. "Sucks to suck, kid."

Somehow the jab felt more humorous than offensive when coming from a girl wearing pigtails held by peppermint candy striped ribbons. But it didn't remove the aggravation that her attitude evoked. Maki could feel her face scrunch as she noticed the girl's attention redirected at a phone, and she pulled back the seat and sat herself down.

"I didn't say you could sit here," the girl commented without looking up from her cellphone screen.

"Well then, it's a good thing it's a public food court, isn't it?"

The girl's eyes met Maki's. "You make me uncomfortable."

Maki deadpanned. "You make me irritated."

There was a moment of silence before the girl responded, "Fine. You can do whatever." She continued to look down at her phone, seemingly scrolling through whatever app she was using while occasionally taking a sip from her bubble tea.

It suddenly felt more awkward than hostile, and Maki wasn't a fan of the atmosphere. She didn't even feel fully comfortable eating her crepe in front of such a rude stranger, but a part of her couldn't stomach the idea of getting up and leaving. Whether it was spite or petty, Maki did not want to appear weaker than the obnoxious holiday gremlin across from her. While the girl sat cross-legged at the table, Maki positioned herself so that she was facing sideways. It wasn't really that comfortable, but she didn't want to face the girl. She over-cautiously bit into her crepe for a few minutes.

"It's not going to kill you to chew like a normal human being."

Maki glanced at the girl before swallowing. "Mind your own business."

"You're at my table." The girl raised her gaze again, her eyes flickering between Maki's and the crepe.

"It's -" Maki exhaled, exasperated. "- not your table."

"I'm sorry, I mean the public table. And that's just my _public_ opinion." the girl smiled. She was cheeky, and not in the cute way.

Maki sighed. "Is it too loud?"

"You're just being really awkward and it's hard not to notice it in my peripheral."

"Then keep your eyes to yourself."

"Do you know what peripheral means?"

Maki squinted, glaring at the girl. "Then focus harder on your phone."

"I'm trying to but you're too awkward for me to do that."

"Yeah?" Maki raised an eyebrow. "Well, you're awkward! And rude!"

The girl put a hand against her own chest and feigned a gasp. "Oh, I'm hurt."

Maki rolled her eyes. "And I'm done," she mumbled. She quickly stuffed the rest of her crepe in her mouth and finished it in no time, ignoring the sipping sounds of the girl and her bubble tea. Although time felt as though it had slowed to a crawl, her break eventually finished and she stood up from her chair to leave. Without looking at the girl, she immediately stormed off toward the store again.

"Had a nice break?" Umi asked as Maki hastily removed her jacket in the back room.

"Could've been better."

* * *

Two days later, she was standing in line at one of the interior cafes of the mall when she saw the familiar outfit for the second time.

"Does she not get out much?" Maki mumbled to herself as she grabbed her coffee and made her way toward the packets and straws. She kept to herself, crafting her perfect caffeine boost to her liking with only minimal glances at the girl, who was sitting at a small table at the corner of the café. She looked just as priggish as Maki remembered, and it only served as a reminder of why people are a nuisance.

Bringing her attention back to her drink, she slipped on the heat-resistant cardboard sleeve and grabbed a few napkins. She was thankful for her jacket and her drink, because it was a bitter day. Already feeling exhausted, she couldn't resist the urge to take a sip. She instantly regretted it, retracting her tongue almost immediately and pursing her lips to hold back any form of noise.

"It might come as a shock but coffee is typically known to be hot. Steaming, even."

Maki couldn't contain her aggravated brow as she turned her head and saw the familiar girl standing right next to her. A part of her prayed it was a figment of her imagination but, as the girl leaned across Maki to get napkins to wrap around her own drink, Maki knew she couldn't possibly be so lucky.

The girl raised an eyebrow at her. "No comeback today, Maki?"

"Um." Maki's eyebrow twitched from immediate discomfort. She had never revealed her name to this girl, especially when she would never introduce herself to someone as obnoxious as the seat-thief under any circumstances. Taking a half-step back, she coughed. "How do you know my name?"

The girl rolled her eyes before pointing to her own cup of coffee, which had the name "Nico" written on its Styrofoam surface, and then she proceeded to point at Maki's own cup. "No one is safe."

With two blinks more than necessary, Maki had a double take as she turned her cup around and looked at her name written in crimson marker. Embarrassment washed over her in red, her face aglow with an unwanted heat.

"Why were you staring at my cup?" she asked, her voice a little more high-pitched than she would've preferred. Her eyes darted between her cup, the girl's cup, and the girl's face and she could feel herself getting riled up. The girl's name was apparently Nico and, although Maki didn't particularly care about the girl, it was nice to have a name to yell when reminiscing about a specific food court incident.

Nico shrugged. "Because it's a better sight than your ugly mug."

"Do you get off from being a jerk?" Maki asked, her brow lowered again with an accompanied glare as she fully turned toward Nico.

Nico chuckled, which was irritating. "Aren't you, like, twelve? Don't use that sort of implicative language."

Maki knew she was blushing but she hoped that Nico wouldn't notice. "First off, that's disgusting. Secondly, out of the two of us you're the one that looks like you just entered primary school. Lastly? I'm fifteen."

"Ew." Nico's face scrunched up as though she had caught a pungent odor. "Two years younger than me?"

Maki scoffed. "You're older by that much? Get rid of those pigtails, maybe you'll look your age."

"You only seem to have a good insult in your pocket when it's about my looks not matching with my age, I've noticed."

"It's because you're infuriating for someone who looks like a Christmas cherub."

Nico pouted, though its sincerity was transparent. "Did I make you that angry at the food court?"

"Yes."

"Listen." Nico shrugged. "You didn't take a seat and stake a claim during your one opportunity."

"You literally asked me if you could sit. And then, as I was saying I needed the table, you decided to plop down onto it. Then what was the point of asking? I'm allowed to be annoyed when you ask and then turn into a random jerk!"

Nico took a sip of her coffee. "You seem upset."

Maki groaned but, just before she could respond with an aggravated retort, she saw a familiar head of blue hair coming her way. She felt as though her entire body sighed as the older girl approach her and Nico.

"Hey, Maki." Umi smiled as she glanced between Maki and Nico, cup of tea in hand. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Maki almost wanted to cling onto Umi's arm as the latter took her place beside her. "Absolutely not."

Nico looked Umi up and down for a brief moment before donning a fake pout yet again. "No introduction? How rude of you, Maki…"

Umi extended her hand out toward Nico. "Oh, that's my fault. I'm Umi Sonoda, and you?"

"Nico." Nico smiled, the most genuine one that Maki had seen. "Nico Yazawa."

Maki's gaze alternated between the two and something about the exchange made her feel uncomfortable and awkward. The last thing she wanted was for the coworker she admired to become buddy-buddy with Nico. She poked Umi on the shoulder.

"What is it?" Umi asked, turning to Maki with curiosity.

"We should probably head toward the store now."

"Oh, are you guys shopping for the holidays?" Nico piped in, unsurprisingly.

Umi chuckled. "No, we work at the music store on the upper level."

Maki wanted to drag a hand down her face as soon as Nico's eyebrows raised and her interest seemed to pique at the information. It was almost like something had clicked for the pig-tailed girl.

"Is that so?" Nico asked, hand on one hip in what Maki assumed to be exaggerated gesture. Everything about Nico felt fake and gussied up, from the outfit to the smile to the pigtails. Nico smirked, looking at Maki. "Then you must have that great sweater they give the employees every year."

Maki reflexively crossed her arms. "I wouldn't know. It's my first time working there."

"At least you don't have to deal with swarms of customers as frequently as other retail places, like toy stores and jewelry sellers."

Umi nodded. "Agreed. I'm thankful that we don't have lines that extend beyond the entrance."

Maki gently patted Umi's arm. "Anyway, we should get going."

"True," Umi said, glancing at her watch. "You should stop by some time, Nico!"

"Yeah?" Nico smiled. "Wow, thanks! I sure will."

Just as Umi and Maki turned to leave, Maki caught a glimpse of a smirk and a wave directed toward her before walking out of the coffee shop.

"Friend of yours from school?" Umi asked.

"I wouldn't say that."

* * *

The next night, Maki decided that it would be as good a time as any to get her mother's Christmas present. Although she knew that Santa would bring her mom something nice just like he did every year, Maki felt as though a first paycheck called for a special gift for her parents. She may not have been a huge fan of the job but, whenever she saw the airtight crowds in other stores, she was grateful for the part-time job her parents had found for her. That gratitude needed to be expressed.

She found herself walking into the jewelry store across the mall, interested in buying her mother a zodiac bracelet. It would be too expensive to buy right away with Maki's first paycheck, but saving up until her second one may give her enough to buy something small and cute. She just wanted to have an idea of what the prices and options in the store were.

The place was packed. It was almost full to the point that Maki wanted to turn around and walk away at first sight. But she had time to browse and nothing else to do until her parents picked her up, so she walked in anyway. Making her way through a pool of bodies, she managed to make it to one of the display stands with a heavy breath as she grasped the edge.

"Do you need help, miss?"

Maki looked up and was immediately met with amber eyes and light brunette hair. The girl wore the sweetest smile that Maki had ever seen on a teenager, and she felt her cheeks warm up a bit at the sincerity in the question. She glanced at the nametag on the girl's white button-up and saw that her name was "Kotori."

"Uh." Maki gulped. "I'm just looking for a zodiac bracelet for my mom. She's into that sort of thing."

Kotori giggled. "I feel like a lot of people are these days! Are you looking for a specific sign or a charm bracelet with all of the signs?"

"Oh!" Maki stood up straight. "The latter sounds good, actually. She's into all of it."

"I can bring you over to our other display case over there, if that's okay? Bracelets aren't my specialty, so my friend can take care of you." She pressed a button on the small walkie talkie at her side, presumably to call over an appropriate sales associate.

Maki offered a small smile. "What is your specialty, then?"

"Fashion." Kotori leaned forward and winked, a finger hushing her own lips. "But let's just pretend it's necklaces."

"Well, your outfit definitely shows it." Maki chuckled, ignoring the faint heat tickling at her cheeks.

"You like it?" Kotori grinned, wider than before. It was a pretty sight. "I suggested our uniform!"

"That's your uniform?" Maki asked, impressed.

Kotori took a step back so that Maki could see the lower half of the ensemble. "Yep!"

Maki paused, her lips drawn into a flat line. The outfit seemed all too familiar. Red heels, black stockings, red skirt, white button-up, black ribbon, and a peppermint candy striped bow in the hair. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing upright.

"Maki! Old buddy, old pal… How long has it been? A day?"

Maki forced a smile as Nico walked into her peripheral, making her way to Kotori's side. The shorter girl patted Kotori's shoulder with a smirk.

"You two are friends?" Kotori asked, turning her head toward Nico. Even she seemed surprised at the idea.

"Duh, of course." Nico raised an eyebrow. "Why do you sound so shocked?"

Kotori smirked. "Red hair? Amethyst eyes? Tall? Everything sounds like it matches up to a certain story you told me."

Maki cringed. "Listen, anything she says about me is a lie!"

"Huh." Kotori looked Maki up and down, causing the latter to blush furiously. "Doesn't look like it to me."

That confused Maki, but she didn't have time to ask any questions before Nico pushed Kotori away toward an older couple. Nico patted her shirt down and adjusted her nametag before folding her hands over the display case between them.

"What are you looking for?"

Maki raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"I'm at work." Nico rolled her eyes. "You can't expect my amazing humor in such a professional environment."

With a sarcastic half-hearted laugh, Maki looked down into the display case. There were beautiful charms and bracelets, ranging from obvious in extravagance to pricey-passing, as she'd call it. She recognized a lot of the zodiac symbols, although she wanted to find something perfect that she could buy in the following week or two.

"What's your sign?"

"Aries," Maki answered immediately without thought before attempting to correct herself, "but I'm not here for –"

"Aries, huh? I'm a Cancer."

Maki looked up at Nico, eyebrow raised again. "Thanks?"

"No problem." Nico scratched her neck, looking around the store while Maki browsed the display case. It was a weird attitude change, but it could probably be chalked up to maintaining professionalism at the end of the day. After all, Nico was working at a fairly expensive jewelry store and it wouldn't go well for her if she was rude to any customers.

Maki smirked to herself for a fleeting moment at the thought of getting Nico in trouble or at the idea of taking advantage of the interesting position they were in. But she wanted to be the better person, and there was no way of knowing how Nico would get back at her if Maki tried anything intentional. After all, Nico knew where Maki and Umi worked.

"Done ogling the glass yet?"

Maki sighed, looking Nico in the eye. "What's your problem exactly?

"Who said I have a problem?"

"Everything you say is mean to me."

"I've been called charming, you know." Nico brushed her knuckles against her own shirt.

Maki faked another laugh. "Yeah? By who?"

"Wow!" Nico feigned an offended expression. "My coworker, of course."

Maki deadpanned. "Kotori called you charming?"

"Why do you sound unconvinced?"

"Are you friends with her?"

"What's it to you?" Nico idly fiddled with her nametag.

"Because I can't imagine you having real friends with the way you act."

"Gee, you sure do hate getting your seat taken, huh?" Nico broke eye contact, distracted by the bustling herds of people around her.

Maki smirked. "So you admit it was my seat!"

"Oh my god." Nico groaned, rolling her eyes as slowly as possible. "There it is. Get over it."

Maki huffed. "It was the way you acted! You were a jerk."

"Well, you're not gonna' hear me apologize for taking it." Nico smiled. Somehow, it seemed like a sincere grin despite the message behind it. "Anyway, do you see anything you like?"

Eyeing a silver bracelet in the corner, Maki nodded. "Yeah, but I'll have to come back in a week or two before I have the money for it."

"You don't strike me as the middle to lower-class type."

"Well, do I strike you as the freshly employed part time worker type?"

Nico laughed. "Is this your first job?

"Maybe."

"Figures." Nico smirked. "You smell like fresh meat."

"Ha… ha… very funny. I smell just fine." Maki shook her head.

"Do you want me to reserve that for you?"

Maki was confused. "I just said I couldn't pay for it."

"We can just hold it. It's just one, and our manager is pretty cool so I can just say it's for a friend." Nico shrugged. She was very nonchalant about it, but it was out of character from what Maki had grown accustomed to in the past few days. "Just go to Kotori at the register and let her know I said you could do that. Just remember the code on the tag there."

"Why are you allowing that? For me?" Maki asked, even more confused than before.

Nico snickered. "Duh! Customer service? I'm going for employee of the month. Just leave me a good review."

"As if."

"Don't make me change my mind. Go."

Maki was still bewildered even as she turned and walked toward the line for the cash register. It was strange to see someone who she had only known to be aggravating be normal. As normal as one could imagine for Nico, she'd guess. The line was slow, probably more than she was willing to wait for even with the prospect of reserving a bracelet. But the thought of seeing Kotori again was a pleasant one.

It took twenty minutes to reach the front of the line, but Maki was able to release a sigh of relief as she stepped up to Kotori's counter. "I'm so happy to see you right now."

Kotori giggled. "Long line?"

"You don't know the half of it."

"Well, I stand here most of the day." Kotori raised an eyebrow in amusement, smirking all the while. "I feel like I have a bit of a grasp."

Maki blushed. "O-Oh… I'm so sorry, I w-wasn't trying to be…"

"Oh, please! It's fine. I understand what you mean, and I was only kidding."

"Really?"

"Of course." There was that pretty smile again. "So what are you here for? I don't see anything on you."

"Nico told me to give you the code on the tag and to say she's reserving it for a friend."

"Aw, that's nice of her." Kotori nodded. "What's the code?"

"You're telling me..." Maki mumbled, repeating the small six-digit code from the bracelet she had looked at. Kotori did not have a single moment of hesitation before punching in the numbers and doing whatever magic she was capable of on her register's computer screen. It was a peaceful moment, despite the hustling customers that lagged behind due to Maki's special request. It didn't take long before Nico showed up at a second register further down the counter, and Maki found it interesting to watch her kindly care for customers and provide what she aptly referred to as customer service. She seemed like an entirely different person.

"What's your sign, anyway?" Kotori asked, disrupting Maki from her spell.

Maki had to recollect herself. "Aries."

"Oh, no wonder you two seem to butt heads!"

"What?"

"A Cancer and an Aries? Opposites. But you're both friends so I guess it's true what they say about opposites attract."

Maki choked on her own spit. "Wh-What? Attract?!"

"Well, yeah. You're friends, aren't you?"

"No!"

Kotori smiled. "Whatever you say."

"You've been more of a friend to me in the past hour than she has since I met her days ago." Maki shrugged, watching as Kotori printed out what looked like a receipt. "I thought it was just a reservation?"

"It is." Kotori nodded. "But I figure in case you forget the number and you come back on a day that Nico and I aren't here."

"Thank you so much. You both work the exact same shifts all the time?" Maki asked. It wouldn't have been weird to imagine, considering that her and Umi are always stuck together. But she didn't know if she appreciated the idea of not being able to see someone like Kotori without being forced to deal with Nico every time.

"Always."

"Great," Maki grumbled. She took the receipt and put it inside of her zipper pocket. "Thank you so much, again, for all of your help."

"Don't thank me! I just punched in some numbers." Kotori grinned.

Maki looked toward Nico one more time, a shining smile on her face as she laughed with an elderly customer in front of the register. It was, admittedly, a nice sight.

"Have a good night."

* * *

Maki was sitting and tuning the demo piano at the corner of the store one week later when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hello ther—"

"Hey, Maki." It was Nico

"Oh." Maki sighed, returning her attention to the piano.

"Wow! Pay attention to me, a loyal customer!"

Maki didn't bother looking at her. "Have you ever been in here?"

"Uh…"

"So much for loyal, huh?"

"Shut up." Nico cleared her throat. She looked at the piano Maki was tuning. "Do you play?" she asked, to which Maki responded with a nod. "Do you play well?"

"I've got a recital or two under my belt, yeah."

"Is it alright if I hear something?"

"Why?" Maki asked, turning her head to look at Nico.

"Because I want to know if you're as good as you're implying."

Maki paused. "All I said was that I've done a recital or two."

"Nah, I can tell you've got a bigger ego than just that."

"Well maybe I don't want to play anything at all after a remark like that."

"Oh, come on." Nico tapped the side of the piano.

Maki looked around for a manager. "I don't know if I should really be playing a full song while on my shift."

"Just say that I asked for a demonstration to see if I like the sound or quality or whatever."

"Fine." Maki stretched her arms and adjusted her spot on the upholstered piano bench. "In case you want to know after hearing it, this is Chopin's Spring Waltz."

"I'm a fan of his Nocturne – opus nine, number two," Nico commented, though she received no reply.

The next few minutes were quiet aside from the song of the piano. Maki's fingers gingerly glided across the keys, no sign of hesitation in her movements as she closed her eyes and played the piece. It was a relaxing arrangement that she particularly enjoyed from Chopin, and she could paint the picture of a waltz just as the title described. Cherry blossoms falling as two lovers spun gracefully in each other's arms in the center of a park, perhaps even by a large ornate fountain. The melody was picturesque.

The song slowed to a finish, and Maki released a short breath as she hit the final key. With a small smile, she turned half of her body toward Nico in order to gauge the girl's reaction. She was surprised to see a sincere, small smile on her face.

Maki crossed her arms, suddenly feeling somewhat sheepish. "I take it that you liked it?"

Nico nodded. "It was beautiful."

"Wow." Maki offered a smile as well. "I really appreciate that."

"Don't mention it."

Maki glanced around the store for a moment, not sure what to do next or what to do with herself. She gently drummed her hands against her thighs as Nico just stood there, idly looking around as well with nothing but a weird silence between them. Maki cleared her throat, "So."

Nico seemed to catch the hint. "I just stopped by since you had done the same for my store."

Maki tilted her head. "I didn't even know you worked there until that moment."

"A visit is a visit." Nico waved a dismissive hand. "Anyway I was wondering if you were free after your shift."

Maki squinted. "Why?"

"I figure I owe you an apology treat or something. In hindsight, I do realize I was being a jerk before. It's just hard to see when I'm so busy being really awesome."

"You know, the first part of that was great but you just ended up ruining it for yourself."

Nico shook her head. "Well, I figure I wouldn't give you any false hope that I'm better than you already expected."

"My expectations were pretty low."

"Good to know." Nico smiled, though it seemed like it was sarcastic or bitter. "Anyway, are you free?"

Maki knew that her parents wouldn't pick her up right away no matter what time she texted them, and as much as Nico bothered her, it wasn't as though she thought Nico would physically hurt her or anything. The girl was annoying, not threatening.

"Sure," Maki said, standing up and closing the piano. She was surprised when she turned toward Nico again only to find the girl at a shorter level than any day beforehand. Maki's gaze traveled southward until she realized that the red heels were missing for the first time since they met, and she fought the urge to snort. "Were you always this short?"

Nico glared. "Don't even start with me."

"Sorry, I'm sorry." Maki snickered, lifting her hands up in surrender. "It just makes me want to take you less seriously whenever you're mean to me."

"Excuse you, I'm not mean." Nico pointed a finger at Maki. "And I definitely can be taken seriously. I'm just a colorful character."

Maki hummed, unconvinced. "Whatever you say."

"Anyway, what time does your shift end?"

"In two hours."

"Meet me in the food court, then?" Nico smirked. "Same table? Unless you don't remember the one."

Maki crossed her arms. "How could I forget?"

* * *

The small get-together of atonement was surprisingly civil. And that was to say, as civil as it could possibly be. Nico's apparent sense of humor seemed pretty consistent in that it involved a lot of jabs and sarcastic knitpicking. Maki felt as though she was slowly getting the hang of it, but it was still fairly obvious that Nico got to her pretty easily. Nico considered it a skill, but that Maki was so easy to mess with that it was hard to under why it was a special talent. Maki just flat out didn't view it that way.

Nico got Maki a bubble tea and a crepe just like the ones they had upon their first meeting, and even Maki had to admit it was both impressive and creepy that Nico remembered the filling in Maki's crepe even though Maki never brought it up. They sat at the same table, with Nico not paying attention solely to her phone and with Maki sitting in a normal position in order to face Nico.

The transition was weird for Maki, because it felt sudden. Although, Nico did seem to act a lot nicer once they spoke at the jewelry store, but Maki had merely assumed it was for the sake of looking good in front of superiors and coworkers like Kotori. It was a subtle and ongoing change from how they totally didn't hit it off. Christmas music provided an atmosphere that Maki hadn't expected, which was that she felt like she was genuinely hanging out with a friend for the first time together while at a mall.

She was also shocked that Nico could continue talking for so long. Even though it may have exhausted Maki's fuel for socialization, it was nice that Nico be the lead in the conversation. She seemed to have a bunch of things to ask or talk about, whether it be a question about Maki's school or if she considered piano as a career for the future. Maki chose to give satisfying answers whilst also keeping a level of detail to herself, only because she had no shame in answering questions but she felt a little awkward dumping all of her life on Nico so soon after their first normal day together.

They were near the center of the mall when they saw the giant Christmas tree and a costumed Santa walking and talking to kids.

Nico laughed, pointing over to the tall red figure. "Can you believe I thought that was so legit when I was younger?"

"Oh come on." Maki rolled her eyes, but she chuckled as she did so. "The guy has a wire connected to the beard!"

"Yeah but when you're a kid you're much less of a skeptic!"

"It doesn't really matter. I think it's enough that the real Santa is wonderful enough to bring gifts to everyone in the world," Maki stated, matter-of-factly.

Nico slowly turned her head to look up at Maki. "What?"

"I'm just saying it's fine if people want to imitate him since he does so much that no normal person can. He's magical, Nico. A guy in a string beard? Not so much. But I appreciate that it gives kids a photo opportunity for a Christmas card."

"Are you –," Nico blinked. "—serious?"

Maki cocked an eyebrow, looking around the mall for a moment before her gaze returned to Nico's baffled expression. "Nico, I don't think what I'm saying is difficult to understand."

Nico's face scrunched a bit. "What kind of cookies do you leave Santa at night?"

"Chocolate chip! You?"

"Uh… sugar cookies, I think."

Maki smiled. "Oh, do you change the type every year or something?"

Nico shook her head. "No, I just… blanked out."

There was an awkward moment of silence as they stood there near the Christmas tree, probably around fifteen feet away as they idly watched the fake Santa man do his thing with the kids. Nico was blinking a lot more than necessary while Maki calmly waited for the next part of their plan for the day.

"So," Nico cleared her throat. "Um. Do you want to take a picture with him?"

"Why?" Maki asked, turning to Nico.

"Er…" Nico bit the inside of her cheek. "I don't know. You don't get to have pictures with the… real…. Santa so it's kind of nice to get festive like this and whatnot." Maki didn't object, looking back at the small line of kids, which was rare but understandable considering how late it was. Nico gestured forward with her chin. "Let's go, I'll pay."

They entered the line and kept their hands in their pockets, the flow of conversation from earlier seemingly gone based on Nico's sudden and seemingly incredulous silence. Maki didn't get it, but the silence wasn't exactly uncomfortable for her since she didn't attribute it to anything having gone wrong.

The photographer waved a hand at them, gesturing for them to go and pose for the photo with Santa. Maki was surprised when Nico grabbed her by the hand and pulled her forward. Her palm was soft and warm, and the intimacy of the gesture lit her cheeks aflame. She shook her head to escape the weird feeling as Nico let go upon approaching the Santa, and both Maki and Nico greeted the friendly man with a handshake and greeting since neither felt comfortable to hug him. Unlike a normal photo with children, he stood up and put his arms around Nico and Maki's shoulders from behind, pushing the two girls together in front of him while the photographer told them to smile.

Maki could feel the warmth of Nico's body against her side, and a part of her was confused as to why she liked it. The prospect of seeing a photo of them standing side by side was suddenly enticing, but then the thought that they were awkwardly standing against one another in a photo pervaded her mind. Panicking for the sake of a picture, Maki felt for Nico's hand and held it once she found it. She could feel Nico momentarily tense up before relaxing, and Maki saw in her peripheral that it didn't break Nico's photographic smile in the slightest. Maki made sure to smile, too, though she was then worried about the likelihood of a blush appearing in a picture. Hopefully the fake Santa's red suit would take all the attention for any redness.

When Nico let go of Maki's hand, Maki could not stop the wave of disappointment that washed over her. She watched as Nico shook hands with the Santa again and walked over to the photographer for the picture. There wasn't a skip in her beat that could help Maki figure out whether or not it was an equally strange deal to Nico, or even if it just weirded her out that Maki had grabbed her hand without permission. They had only known one another for a week, yet Maki felt compelled to stay aware of the girl. It was almost like a magnetism, though she didn't understand why since Nico wasn't exactly the sweet type. Although, as she watched Nico pull money out of a black leather wallet with a white and pink rabbit on it, Maki briefly wondered if that was the wrong assumption to make.

Nico waved a hand and Maki followed her as they stepped out of the picture area. Nico handed Maki one of the two copies of the picture, and Maki couldn't help but immediately dart her eyes to the entanglement of their hands. She liked it more than she wanted to admit, with Nico's bright smile and Maki's own grin bordering something so intimate between them. She suddenly wished the man in the suit wasn't there at all.

"I'm surprised you held my hand." Nico commented, as though she knew Maki was staring at that part of the picture.

"I, uh –," Maki coughed. "—I thought it'd look really awkward if we were just against each other like that and just, I don't know, standing there weirdly."

"Fair enough." Nico laughed. "And here I thought that you liked me!"

Maki's face froze up at the implication, her jaw firmly set in place. It was an immediate reflex, and the fact that she reacted physically at all was enough to worry her.

"You alright there?" Nico asked, amused. She smirked. "Don't tell me it's true."

Maki was physically unable to use her ability of speech. She would open her mouth to no avail, not a single syllable or consonant rising from the depths of her throat. She could only look ahead, avoiding eye contact with Nico because she was more than certain that her face was the same color as her own hair. She cursed herself, yelling internally to not let the moment slip with such a dangerous implication at the hand of silence.

Nico's eyelids fluttered, surprised. "Is it?"

"I don't know." Maki bit her lip, ignoring the girl beside her as they walked with no destination in mind. It was strange how secluded she felt, as though she were with Nico on a separate plane of existence from the holiday shoppers around them. The conversation somehow felt so private even though they were in public, and objectively speaking just about anyone could hear them as they walked by. But the moment, however small or however serious, felt special. Maki wondered if this would be a memorable moment that would stay with her or if it would fade into the recesses of her mind in due time.

"Are you gay?" Nico asked, though the bluntness of the question was softened by her tone. There was no malice or judgment in her voice but, instead, an audible sense of delicacy.

Maki sighed, recollecting herself and her voice. "I mean, yeah, but that's not really why I sound apprehensive… I'm already past that stage of panic in my life."

Nico's chuckle was a relieving sound. "Then why apprehensive?"

"Is me not knowing if I like you—, " Maki turned her head to Nico. "—concerning or worrisome or weird?"

Nico shrugged, a soft smile on her face. "No."

"Um, well…" Maki squinted. "Are you gay?"

Nico shook her head.

Maki felt mortified. "I'm so –"

"I'm bisexual," Nico said, allowing herself a laugh as Maki immediately groaned.

"Ugh, you're horrible."

"Not horrible enough, apparently." Nico smirked.

"Shut it." Maki rolled her eyes.

Nico smiled. "Can't say I'm not relieved, though. I thought you liked Kotori, to be honest. The glass wasn't the only thing you were ogling at the store."

Maki rolled her eyes. "She's pretty, okay? But we barely spoke. And when we did, it ended up being about you anyway."

"Wow!" Nico chortled. "That's hilarious. But are you saying I'm not pretty?"

"Don't put words in my mouth!" Maki huffed. She puffed her cheeks a bit as she looked away. "You're cute, I guess."

"Do you remember when I told you I didn't plan on apologizing for taking the seat at the table you wanted?" Nico asked. "You know, while we were at my store."

Maki was curious. "Yeah."

"Well, I actually said that because I meant it. Why would I apologize for something that gave me an excuse to talk to you?"

That was a hit to Maki's embarrassment. "Are you saying that all this time you had the intention of telling me that you liked me too?"

"Wow, you're putting words in my mouth."

"Was that not just a confession that you kind of like me?!"

"I mean, yeah. But you didn't let me say it myself yet!"

Deadpanning, Maki grumbled. "You're so aggravating… Why am I even questioning my feelings when it should be obvious?"

"Because I'm irresistible."

"So what happened exactly, on the day you took my spot?"

Nico crossed her arms proudly. "We both went for the same seat. When I asked about sitting there, I was being sincere until I realized I was looking at a beautiful girl! Like, visually, I mean. Your personality could use some improvement." Nico laughed when Maki made a disgruntled expression. "And when I heard you speaking? Great voice, I'm sure you could sing well with that type of audio candy. You also sounded kind of shy, so I figured there was no better way to really get your attention than to piss you off."

"So you're saying that the personality I've seen from you is fake and that you're not actually a bitch? That'd be great." Maki smirked.

Nico gasped dramatically. "Maki! Such language is not befitting of a proper young lady."

"And yet here you are, admitting that you've been pursuing me from day one. Do you even have anything that you like about me? You barely know me."

Nico shook her head. "I learned a lot about you today – even some stuff that I'm really surprised about. And I genuinely think you're gorgeous, and Kotori told me that you were getting something for your mom, which showed me that you have a generous and kind side to you. And when you played piano for me earlier? To be honest, I think that definitely hit the nail on the head. I know I've been getting under your skin for the past week, but it has gotten your attention and something must be working if you're here telling me that you might like me."

Maki smiled sheepishly. "Um…"

"You're not the first girl I've made speechless." Nico winked.

"Have you had a girlfriend before?"

"I had a boyfriend four years ago but it lasted for a week and I only said yes because his choice of a first date was a concert for an idol I really admired."

"You used him?" Maki didn't feel surprised.

"I mean, yeah. He was actually really nice but I made sure to wait a week so that it didn't look like I used him."

"I'm not surprised that was your only relationship."

"Well, it's not like I haven't tried! I actually went for Kotori myself at one point, you know. But we just became really good friends."

Maki's eyes widened. "Really? You two seemed to hit it off."

"It's funny, actually. When your coworker Umi introduced herself at the cafe, I thought her name sounded familiar but then when she said she worked at the music store, I immediately knew who she was. Kotori – politely, of course – turned me down because she was already dating that girl for, like, three years!"

"Really?" Maki was surprised but simultaneously grateful. The match seemed to make perfect sense in her head.

"Yeah! But that was the first time I had ever seen Kotori's girlfriend. She looked nice enough. Frankly, I'm glad someone better got a hold of Kotori."

Maki offered a sympathetic smile. "I think you're fine. Annoying, but not undeserving."

"And what do you like about me?"

"I think the only reason why I'm hesitant is because I've never been in this situation." Maki rubbed her arms awkwardly. "There's something about you that's kind of hard to resist? If you're in the room I can't help but look your way or immediately notice you. And, yeah, you say stuff that immediately makes me want to fight back, but I can kind of appreciate your ability to have such sharp retorts or comebacks. And I think there's a part of me that likes when you give me attention? Maybe it's because you make me feel much more present in the moment or alive, I guess, but as much as I may call you—," Maki blushed, realizing she was getting too honest. "—annoying or obnoxious, and as much as that may be true, I still feel strange when you leave too soon."

"Did you realize that you may have feelings for me today?"

Maki shook her head, avoiding Nico's face. "I think the day at the store, it clicked with me. I saw you being so wonderful to customers and, even though you didn't really show me that side of you, I liked that it was something there that you just hid. Maybe it's just an employee persona but I enjoyed seeing it. But I was probably still in denial about it, especially since Kotori was making jokes about our zodiac signs. And then you've been nice all day and when I touched your hand and felt your body against mine, I just –"

Nico cleared her throat. "Listen, your sentence is sounding more and more naughty every time you tack another word onto it so I think I get the picture."

"I'm sorry." Maki's face felt as though it were on fire.

"Jeez, it's fine." Nico laughed. "I just can't handle you rambling on about me anymore. Like, I literally love nothing more than a boost to my ego, but I kind of want to stop talking about what we like about each other and actually do something about it if that's okay."

"But what if I'm not sure?"

Nico waved a dismissive hand. "I've been around the block, Maki. You don't get all dorky and shy and shit when you accidentally brush against someone. Also, you held my hand? That's not the actions of someone who doesn't know, you know. Plus, there's plenty of time to get to know each other more and, hopefully, learn more things to like about one another." Nico pulled them to the side and grabbed Maki's hands, looking up at the redhead with an admittedly adorable toothy grin. "How does that sound?"

Maki stared, wide-eyed, and she wondered how obvious it was that she was feeling nervous. "Do you want to have a first date?"

Nico winked. "Can't this count?"

"I'd prefer something better than a picture with fake Santa Claus and a weirdly circumstantial premature confession of feelings."

"Well, you're definitely a tough customer. Do you know how hard it is to make that sort of thing happen?"

Maki chuckled. "Thanks." The skin of Nico's palms warmed hers and comforted her, and it was really starting to hit her how much more relaxed she felt about her feelings when Nico admitted to having them, too. There was a sense of reassurance and care that Maki would have never expected to feel from Nico. Then again, she was convinced there were going to be a lot of things that she wouldn't expect from Nico to come into light in the future.

"Now, I'm not saying I'm going to give you one… you know, for sure or anything. But do you want to have your first kiss?" Nico asked, her expression more serious than Maki would be able to give had she proposed the notion.

Maki shook her head bashfully. "When I'm ready?"

"That's a great idea." Nico smiled, stepping back and pulling Maki along the strip of the mall again with fingers intertwined. "How does a dinner date on Friday sound?"

Maki smiled. "I'd like that."


End file.
